Courthouse to install lock boxes for weapons

Lock boxes for gun storage will soon be installed at the Whitman County courthouse to comply with a state requirement.

Facilities Management Director Bill Tensfeld expects to have the boxes installed within a month. The boxes will have two lockers, each just big enough for a pistol. Weapon-owners will be able to lock their weapons in the boxes and keep the key with them while transacting courthouse business and then retrieve their weapons as they exit.

Although the courthouse is a designated gun-free zone, the state requires either locked boxes sufficient for pistols with a key available for the weapon owner or a designated person to hold them.

County commissioners discussed the placement of the lock boxes during workshop session Monday morning. They decided to place one at each of the two main entrances.